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Back to school: Books that revitalized my marketing career

Among my cherished hobbies is reading. My bookshelves are filled with volumes representing various genres, including the classics (Jane Austen is my favorite), ocean liner history, travel, business, and professional development. Additionally, I have a collection of contemporary literature on my e-reader.

I enjoy, as well, sharing my thoughts on the books I’ve read. I am a regular contributor to Goodreads, from where I also find recommendations for other books I might enjoy. (And, those are almost always spot-on.) Since returning to school to obtain my professional certificates in copyediting and marketing and branding, I’ve read some very helpful (and, at times, fun) books that are pertinent to my career. I share my reviews, originally published on Goodreads, with the hope that others may find them useful.

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Mobile Marketing: An Hour a Day (Rachel Pasqua, Noah Elkin ~ Published December 26, 2012 by John Wiley & Sons)

I learned a great deal about mobile marketing from this book, some of which I am already putting into practice. Although this text was assigned reading for a college course I took over the summer, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about this essential, emerging business and how to develop actionable plans for marketing through mobile media.

This book was assigned reading for a university-level continuing education course in Internet marketing. The price could not be beaten; it was a free download from the publisher. The material was organized well and included useful charts for planning and measuring marketing goals. My main issue with the book, however, was that it could get confusing for the American learner as the book was published in a different continent. Many of the Web sites mentioned were not familiar to me and, as a trained grammarian, I found myself distracted by a form of written English with which I was unfamiliar. I’d consider this book a decent resource (especially that it is available at no cost), but not the only resource for those who wish to learn about eMarketing.

Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications was assigned reading for a recent class in Integrating the Marketing Message — and was an excellent choice by the instructor. The chapters were organized in a way that made sense, particularly for a student like myself who had been away from the classroom for many years. I found the lead-in vignettes, integrated campaigns in action features, and examples of advertisements very helpful in expanding my understanding of the material. The only negative was its price — a used copy was going for roughly $140 at the time of my purchase. Still, in retrospect, it was a decent price for such an informative text that I know will serve well as a reference book for years to come

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Special mention: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Lynne Truss ~ Published April 2006 by The Penguin Group (first published 2003))

I don’t have to admit to being a stickler. Everyone who knows me is already aware of my grammarian tendencies. I read Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation on and off during a period three months, each time with a grin as I realized that I was not alone in my love of punctuation. And, that’s exactly what this book is about — the evolution of punctuation. Author Lynne Truss takes us on a journey from the early printed form of language to today’s emoticons while combining historical references with a bit of humor. Note that this is not a book about grammar; nor is it a definitive guide on how to use punctuation (as conventions vary between countries). Yet, for those of us who cringe at the misuse of the apostrophe or appreciate how a comma can change the meaning of a sentence, this is a wonderful read that will keep you entertained.

Have you read any good business books lately? Please share in the comments section, below.